Vietnam - Cuba Customs: Solid and comprehensive cooperation on professional aspects

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The Meeting: Photo: H.NỤ

Attending the meeting was the Director General of Vietnam Customs Nguyen Van Can, leader of the Vietnam Customs delegation, the Deputy Director General Mai Xuan Thanh, Director of International Cooperation Department Dao Duc Hai and representatives of departments under the General Department of Vietnam Customs.

For the General Customs of Republic of Cuba, Director General Nelso Cordovers, as the leader of the Cuba Customs delegation, Deputy Director General Dao Duc Hai, Director of Customs Operations Yamilka Felipe Bringa attended.

Director General Nguyen Van Can delivered a speech to welcome the delegation to the meeting.

Similar tasks

At the meeting, Can detailed the achievements of Vietnam Customs in recent years. He said the Ministry of Finance (General Department of Customs) has made great efforts and coordinated with ministries and sectors to implement the National Single Window and ASEAN Single Window; actively applied IT, conducted customs reform, modernisation and facilitation to enterprises. Vietnam Customs has applied customs management measures in industrial parks and Customs management for cross-border e-commerce in Vietnam. Especially, in the fight against smuggling and trade fraud, Vietnam Customs has had effective results.

General Director Nguyen Van Can said the traditional relationship, solidarity, friendship and comprehensive cooperation between the people of the two countries of Vietnam and Cuba have always been nurtured and developed in many areas, uniting the two countries together. Thereby, the two Customs authorities have also made efforts to implement the Cooperation Agreement signed in 2013, which focuses on the customs operation issue of mutual interest.

“In the international context with the rapid increase of global trade volume and the risk of traditional and non-traditional frauds in the customs area, that requires the customs authorities have close cooperation, especially in the exchange of information and intelligence in customs, to maintain a balance and enable licit trade; ensure economic security and national budget revenue,” Can said

Can said Vietnam Customs and Cuba Customs have many similar tasks and areas where the two sides can share experience with each other.

Director General of Cuban Customs Nelson Cordoves Reyes thanked Vietnam Customs for the respectful welcome and appreciated the friendship and cooperation between the two countries and the two Customs authorities. He also said the two Customs authorities have many similarities in functions and tasks, so the operational structures of the two authorities have many similarities.

He stated the challenges that Vietnam Customs are facing are the same as Cuban Customs. Currently, Cuban Customs has 150 sniffing dogs and coaches participating in the prevention of smuggling and trade frauds. In the near future, Cuban Customs will train dogs to detect currencies and cigars. In particular, the Cuban Customs is building a separate school and training programme for sniffing dogs.

He added that Cuba is in the process of improving its management apparatus. A year ago, Cuban Customs deployed electronic declarations and has been proceeding Single Window and projecting to deploy authorised economic operator program.

Desire to share and learn experiences

Reyes said the new Vietnam - Cuba Trade Agreement will contribute to creating a stable and open legal framework, promoting bilateral trade and investment. The agreement will also bring tremendous benefits to the business communities of the two sides, create favourable conditions for the import and export activities, increase two-way trade turnover, and contribute to bringing trade relations between Vietnam and Cuba to a new level.

He expressed a desire to learn experience in customs management in the industrial parks and would later enhance the exchange of experts in the fields of IT, customs modernisation. Thereby, hoping the cooperation between Vietnam Customs and Cuban Customs will serve the two countries' trade well.

Can said that in the context of the new trade agreement between Vietnam and Cuba, the two Customs authorities were tasked to deploy provisions of customs management and trade facilitation when the agreement comes into force.

To strengthen cooperation, Can hoped and believed the cooperation between the two authorities would be stronger and more effective. The meeting will open up the substantive and effective development of Vietnam - Cuba Customs.

Can looked forward to a long-term cooperation with the Cuban Customs in training sniffing dogs, and supporting each other in the exchange of experts; exchanging information on shipments between the two countries, bringing the relationship between the two states and the two authorities closer.